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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25671622">The easy way</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hyfriancarousel/pseuds/Hyfriancarousel'>Hyfriancarousel</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Red shoes month 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Red Shoes and the 7 Dwarfs (2019)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Evil, Anger, Drama, Gen, High Heels, Manipulation, Poison Apples, Self-Doubt, Threats</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:35:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>874</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25671622</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hyfriancarousel/pseuds/Hyfriancarousel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Merlin was evil?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Red shoes month 2020 [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1860025</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The easy way</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Apples. Truly, the most suspicious of fruits. So wonderful in their glow, so delicious in their taste. Hard to resist for anyone they’re given to. Responsible for many a loss of gorgeous young royalty. Used by witches for decades. </p><p>The red fruit is never good news for those not within the circles of magic. </p><p>Merlin threw an apple into the air and captured it with his right hand. A stunning match to his coat and heels of red, the apple remained in his grasp. Eyes followed him from the side, two figures he knew as allies.</p><p>He offered the apple to the room in front of him, that of darkly lit space and a friend who looked back with a worried stare.</p><p>“Now, there’s a choice you can make, Hans.”</p><p>He spoke as he shifted his position on the throne. Earlier it belonged to a queen, a witch. But now, to him. He had turned the kingdom of White, red.</p><p>“You take this apple and do what you NEED to do, or...”</p><p>Merlin let the apple fall, but just as it did, he took a hold of its stem. The apple tried to spin from the momentum. The red skin almost reflective enough to show Hans his form, cursed by the fairy princess.</p><p>“...stay a dwarf forever.”</p><p>Hans flinched.</p><p>“But this isn’t right! Merlin! Arthur!”</p><p>Hans looked at the third figure near the throne.</p><p>“...Jack...”</p><p>Jack and Arthur stood beside Merlin. Jack was especially looking down to the room below. The same bitter gaze he never gave to Hans. Merlin, Arthur, definitely. Maybe even the triplets. </p><p>But never to Hans. </p><p>Hans wanted to take a step back, but he refused to move. No matter how much he wanted to cower, he would not back down now.</p><p>“We can break the curse the way she meant us to! Merlin, you almost-”</p><p>Arthur slammed his fist against the wall behind him.</p><p>“You really think you’d get a kiss from the most beautiful woman in the world?!”</p><p>His gaze reflected anger, hate.</p><p>Jack chuckled. His laugh became louder before dying down like a bird shot by a hunter. His eyes gazed at Arthur, overlooking Merlin between them. </p><p>“Please, we all tried.”</p><p>Even though he looked at Arthur, he meant the words for Hans.</p><p>None of this helped to make him feel any braver. </p><p>Hans gulped before speaking.</p><p>“...I-“</p><p>“We all failed,” Arthur cut Hans off, more angry than before. “There’s no way you’ll find someone to kiss you.”</p><p>The room felt colder as Merlin just kept silently staring forward, right through Hans.</p><p>He tried to speak again.</p><p>“But-”</p><p>“Give it up, mon ami.”</p><p>Jack kneeled in front of Hans. Anyone moving such an impressive distance without Hans noticing was enough to make him shiver. </p><p>Jack smiled faintly.</p><p>“You need not stay like this any longer.”</p><p>He offered the red apple to Hans. The same one Merlin had held in his hand, the same one used as a threat, as a promise.</p><p>“Take the easy way out.”</p><p>Hans stepped back. This wasn’t what he wanted.</p><p>What did he want? </p><p>Did he want to fight? For what? It had been a year since he could do so without problems. And they had all fought the second Red shoes came in to the picture. </p><p>So he didn’t want to fight.</p><p>He didn’t want to be like the others. But he wanted to see himself again. To be seen as himself again. So, so badly.</p><p>Jack’s smile, sympathetic, even with the red gleaming from both his heels and the apple itself. He wanted to help. </p><p>It was hard to tell, and Jack didn’t talk about it, but he cared. He hated not feeling beautiful, and he hated it when other’s would feel bad about themselves. It made sense. Hans knew that. At least he thought he did. </p><p>Could he be sure now?</p><p>Jack put his left hand on Hans’s shoulder, placing the apple in his hands. It was almost comically big in the hands of a dwarf, but that made the apple feel more threatening. More deadly.</p><p>Jack pulled him closer and whispered in his ear.</p><p>“Pick the closest person and make them take a bite out of this apple. That’s all you need to do.”</p><p>He tapped the apple before standing up. A looming shadow over his friend’s cursed form. Hans had a hard time seeing the same kindness in Jack’s face he saw a moment ago.</p><p>“It’s up to you.”</p><p>Jack looked down, turned and sauntered back to the throne. Back to Arthur and Merlin.</p><p>Sleek shoes.</p><p>They were both smiling, no, smirking at their friend further away.</p><p>Red heels.</p><p>Arthur let out a boisterous laugh. He held both of his hands on his hips.</p><p>“Exactly. Join us and be yourself again.”</p><p>Merlin stood up from the throne. Eyes sharp, hand held forward in a beckoning gesture.</p><p>Taller, thanks to the heels.</p><p>“It’s what we all most desire,” he spoke with a smile.</p><p>Hans’s hold on the apple tightened, shaking it in his hands. He looked down at it. His form looked back, small and green, yet his eyes more determined than ever. Almost red in their gleam.</p><p>He was angry.</p><p>He knew what he wanted.</p><p>“Yes. It is.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Day 2: Apple of @redshoemonth2020's (tumblr) Red shoes prompt month.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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